When: Classes are held mornings and evenings daily, with limited schedule on weekends.

The workout: I've wanted to trying boxing and kickboxing for many years since it looked like a great workout and a way to relieve workday stress. I made an attempt years ago at a men's boxing gym, but it smelled like the guys had been sweating for decades, and the trainers looked like they were ready for a round with Mike Tyson. So, to my delight, I discovered the opening of the new Title Boxing Club in Pearland, the fourth in the city.

It's a large new space in a strip center with 61 boxing bags, each weighing 100 pounds. The club feels more like a cool fitness studio, less like a sweaty boxing gym. There's even a boutique area where you can buy your own boxing gloves in colors from yellow to pink, as well as other gear.

I came prepared with a towel, water bottle, good sneakers and sweat-wicking workout wear. Owner Scott Thompson wrapped my hands with boxing tape, then helped me slide on my gloves. The 60-minute kickboxing class, led by fitness trainer and former Thai boxer Colt Dubroc, started with a warm-up of stretching exercises and a light run around the perimeter of the boxing-bag area. The bell rang (from a digital clock high above), signaling the rounds were starting.

There are eight, three-minute rounds with a minute active rest between each round. (Meaning, you're moving while taking a break.)

For each round, Dubroc called out the various "jab," "kick," "upper cut" and other combinations. I pounded the bag as hard as I could, thinking of all the deadlines I was missing by taking the morning class. "Come on! Whole body, whole body," Dubroc belted. By this time, I was sweating hard. Thankfully, the bell rang and I grabbed some water. The hardest part was kicking the bag between jabs. It takes some coordination, but halfway through the rounds, I was getting the motion down. The workout ended with 15 minutes of abdominal exercises on the floor, with a medicine ball of varying weights depending on your strength.

After punching the bag for nearly an hour, I felt strong and empowered. I also felt that every muscle in my body got a workout, from my core to my legs. And I had fun.

So it was worth the intense muscle aches that I felt the next day.

The experts: Owner Scott Thompson started working out at the Title Boxing Club in Missouri City in 2012, to re-ignite his running routine at the suggestion of his wife. "I was hooked from the beginning," said Thompson, who lost 17 pounds in three months. "It's about being healthy, but it's also a stress relief. There's something about pounding on a bag that makes you feel better."

Fitness level: All levels. Title Boxing Pearland attracts ages 8 to 80. No experience is necessary. "We show you the technique and how to do it, and you mimic the technique at your own level," Thompson said. (Both kickboxing and boxing classes are available.)

Intensity: Medium to high, depending on how hard you work. (You will sweat.)

Results: Thompson said the explosive boxing workouts can burn up to 1,000 calories per hour.

Gear: Sweat-wicking workout wear (including a good sports bra and shorts). Nothing fancy. Boxing hand tape, $5.99, and gloves, $29-$100, are sold in the club's performance store, but both are available for free for the first class.

Price: Club memberships are $60-$140 a month, including family, single-club or all-club access memberships. There are more than 120 Title Boxing Clubs in the county.

First class is free. Thompson also offers a money-back guarantee if clients don't get the results they want working out three times a week for three months. Private personal training sessions are also available.

FITGIRL SHOUT-OUT: If you know of a fun, new fitness class or workout studio in the Houston area, email FitGirl at joy.sewing@chron.com.